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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered an update on Tuesday from the briefing room in D.C., offering more information about the tragic deaths of U.S. soldiers in Lithuania, and fielding questions about President Trump’s anticipated reciprocal tariffs set to go into effect April 2.
This week, news broke that three U.S. Army soldiers had been found dead on Monday in Lithuania. According to the New York Times, these fallen soldiers were located inside a vehicle that fell into a muddy bog during a training mission, but rescuers and military personnel were still searching for a fourth missing soldier.
On Tuesday, Leavitt confirmed that this fourth soldier had sadly been confirmed as deceased.
“This is another stark reminder of the selfless sacrifice of our brave military men and women who risk their lives every day to keep us safe,” she said. “God bless them.”
Regarding Wednesday’s reciprocal tariffs set to go into effect, Leavitt described it as a historic event. “Looking ahead to tomorrow, April 2, 2025, will go down as one of the most important days in modern American history,” she stated.
She praised Americans as having the “best consumer base, hands down,” but noted that too many foreign countries have closed off their markets to exports. “Those days of America, beginning tomorrow, being ripped off, are over,” she said.
Leavitt reiterated the president’s “common sense” approach to stimulating economic growth using tariffs, and highlighted the simple, bottom line solution to countries seeking to dodge tariffs: “If you make your product in America, you will pay no tariffs.”
At one point, Leavitt was asked if the president would consider lifting tariffs on certain countries altogether if they were willing to acquiesce to Trump’s request to build products in America. “The president is always open to taking calls,” she said, but remained firm that businesses and countries will experience “ultimate change” when they decide to do business in the United States of America.